Global Classrooms: The Air and Water Projects

USA

USA011

Résumé, summary

The Water Project was originally developed in the fall of 1991 to be taught in the spring of 1992. The participants in this water study included children in classrooms from the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The children ranged in age from 7 to 12 years. Throughout the study of water, the students shared and compared information and drew comparative conclusions about both content and culture. Because the Water Project was successful, the Air Project was developed in 1992-93 as the second thematic-based telecommunications project for elementary students. The Air Project was created to provide new content for the 1991-92 participants to explore the following year. In 1994, curriculum guides for teachers wishng to replicate Air/Water project activities were developed and have been published by the Texas Center for Educational Technology. For 1995, there are 32 classrooms in the Air or Water Projects in 5 countries including New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Canada and the United States.

Discipline, subject :

social sciences de la terre Erdwissenschaft Earth sciences scienze della terra telematics interdisciplinaire interdisciplinarity social studies études sociales télématique

Public :

primaire Primarschule primary school primario

Contacts :

Christensen, Rhonda

Edaf. 111 Pea body, Louisiana State University

BATON ROUGE LA 70803

Tel :
Mail : taylor@bit.csc.lsu.edu
Fax :

Pédagogie, pedagogy :

Apprentissage, learning :

Students work cooperatively in the classroom as well as across the globe. The project is interdisciplinary in that it involves science, social studies, language arts, mathematics, geography, art and drama.

Enseignement, teaching :

Applying these projects in the classroom allows teachers to use diverse methods to teach their students. The teacher guides the class in the development and transmission of information to be shared with classes in other parts of the world.

Technique :

Internet access is necessary, as well as the equipment needed to communicate from the classroom to the Internet (computer, modem, phone line, etc.).

Société, society :

This project involves collaborative learning locally and globally. Within the classroom, students collaboratively collect and summarize their findings. Their information is then shared electronically with their counterparts in other classrooms.

Culture :

Students are communicating and learning from students in other cultures. They find out how they are different but mostly how they are alike. Participants coincidentally learn more about their own cultures as well.

Institution :

The students gather their information (such as water samples) and type it into a word processor. The teachers then upload their files via the Internet to other participating classrooms.

Logistique :

Classrooms or teachers need access to the Internet as well as other classes with which to communicate.